When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they’ll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. OurPrivacy Noticeexplains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time.

A Scouser who started out with nothing on a council estate in Walton has told the story of how he went from being thrown out of school three times to leading his own business and turning over millions.

Craig Greenwood said he was "one of those kids" at school who sold packs of Disco crisps to others, before leaving with a few GCSEs to take a further education course in refrigeration.

Now 32 and CEO of Everkool, he has personally and commercially grown from strength to strength in his short career.

Liverpool-born Craig, who also boxed for England as a youngster, decided upon the name ‘Everkool’ when driving past Goodison Park, home of Everton FC, despite himself being a LFC fan.

Refrigeration and air conditioning business Everkool turned over £3.5m last year, but now Craig wants to give back to his local community - and dozens of his employees are those who may have struggled at school, but now show a willingness to turn things around.

How it all began

Craig’s upbringing was humble - on a council estate in Walton.

“I wasn't a very clever lad, academically. I was a bit of a naughty kid really,” he told the ECHO.

“I had a little bit of ADHD and I have been kicked out of a few schools, shall we say.

“In that area, no one had nothing, and there were not many activities to do for young people so they would get bored and get up to all sorts.

“You can go one way or another in that area, shall we say, and thankfully I kept my head down and got into refrigeration and air conditioning.”

Read More

Related Articles

Read More

Related Articles

He said he was kicked out of three separate schools for fighting, and that one of the causes of his struggles was his glue ear - a condition where the middle ear fills with a glue-like fluid instead of air, causing dulled hearing.

“Getting thrown out was just for fighting in school. Glue ear is like hearing underwater, and it began from a very early age.

“It meant that from the very beginning, I couldn’t really talk. I would try and speak but other kids couldn't understand me. I would get frustrated and lash out at them.

“I was also behind in school because of the condition. I never really enjoyed it anyway.”

Craig finally settled at De La Salle Academy in Croxteth, where he would eventually leave with a couple of GCSEs.

De La Salle Academy, Croxteth, Liverpool

He said: “People think I’m great at maths now because of how I am with sums and spreadsheets, but I wasn’t in school. I’ve only learnt that as I’ve grown my business - working out what percentages and margins were.”

Despite his struggles at school, Craig was an excellent boxer, and even competed for England.

“I started boxing when I was 11 - it was my passion. That’s what I wanted to do all along - be a pro.

Read More

Related Articles

Read More

Related Articles

"But I always thought I should get into a trade just in case I got an injury, so I got into refrigeration and air conditioning - that was my fallback.

"I had a couple of years where I wasn't as dedicated, shall we say, and a couple of things happened and then I couldn't carry on.

“I drifted away from boxing and then opened my business. I started making a couple of quid and then just thought ‘you know what, I either put my all into it or I won't do it’. I'm all or nothing, as a personality. So I stopped boxing and I haven't actually been since then.

"I went from being 100% dedicated to just not doing it. I’m now 110% in on the business side of things.”

Craig said his entrepreneurial mindset began to shine through at an early age.

"I think it was to do with not having money as a kid. I was one of the kids that sold crisps in school. I’d buy cans and packs of Disco crisps from Farm Foods then sell them.

Follow ECHO Business Editor Tom Houghton

Tom is Business Editor for the ECHO, Business Live and the Liverpool City Region Business Post

Top news stories

The industry has often been “neglected” by aspiring tradesman in Merseyside, so he said he wanted to seize the opportunity to make his mark in the business.

He added: “Lots of people get into joinery, plumbing, tiling, but I was the only person in my class to go into refrigeration. I also heard it was good pay.

“There were hardly any companies in Liverpool or Merseyside that did it. There was a gap in the market, so I got into it and I haven't looked back since.”

Having started out as one man and a van, Everkool now employs 35 people.

'You’ve got to have the right character'

And with Craig’s humble beginnings, he now wants to help others who have left school without qualifications.

He said: “You don’t need a lot of education to do it. As long as you want to learn and want to work, and you get your head down in college, you will learn the job.

“But you’ve got to have the right character. If they stick at it, I will teach them everything I know - not just through the trade, but personally as well - I like to help them get on the property ladder and things like that.”

Now a multi-million pound air-conditioning and ventilation business, Everkool is one of the UK’s biggest suppliers of ventilation and air conditioning technology.

As a result of the acquisition of major contracts throughout Merseyside and beyond, the company was able to buy manufacturers Hargreaves ductwork LTD, meaning it manufactures all products that they use at their Bootle HQ.

Craig said that has required “significant capital investment” - but has resulted in a huge improvement in efficiency and a streamlined service.

He said: “When I opened Everkool, I was still boxing and thought the money would come from the boxing industry, not the company.

“I’m not driven by money. I’m more driven by success. I never got paid as an amateur boxer - that was my love - the sport. That's what I’m like with my business now.

“Entrepreneurs have a lot of guts, and my boxing career meant I wasn't scared of nobody.

“I will break through barriers others would not want to due to the risk. I take the risk on and I’ve made mistakes, but I learn from them and make sure they don’t happen again.”